Salvaging and lifesaving device for sunken vessels



July 2 7, 1943. o. s. CARPENTER 2,325,306

SALVAGING AND LIFE SAVING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN VESSELS Filed Aug. 31. 19424 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

July 27, 1943. o. s. CARPENTER 2,325,306

SALVAGING AND LIFE SAVING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN VESSELS Filed Aug. 51, 19424 Sheets-Sheet 2 080 a? A. CafipenZefl IN V EN T OR.

ELS

July 27, 1943- 0.5. CARPENTER SALVAGING AND LIFE SAVING DEVICE FORSUNKEN VESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 31, 1942 W 9 RN J o o J km m. Nr m m o F M u g v NJ V w k NR o J J M M VESSELS July 27, 1943.

o. s CARPENTER SALVAGING AND LIFE SAVING DEVICE FOR SUNKEN Fil 51, 1943'4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.3

. plany I Patcnted July 27, 1943 .sAI NAG INGfAND LIFESAVING nnvrcnron vI m a SUNKENVESSELSi r, .0

r S. Carpenter, Cloverdalelln di i A plic tion-Au usta, 1942, maintain di eiaims. (01. 114- 165) Thisinvention aims to provide novei' means-.-whereby a buoy may be attached, releasably, to

a'submarinebeneath the surface and out of commission, the constructionbeing su'ch' that the uoy may 'rise to the surface'of 'the sea,"a't thewill of an operator, the buoycarrying with it a fiexiblecon'duit wherebyair mayreach thesunk-' en submarine.

. 'Ihe' :invention aimsto provide-novel means for opening the buoy;when'fl'it is at thesdrface-{to permit the entrance of air into theconduit; A

further object or the invention is to supply novel means for holding-thebuoy releasablyasseinbled ith the submarine;

It is 'within'the rovince of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the" utilityof devices'of that'type to which the presentinvention appertains; i

With the" above and other objects in: view,

which will appear as the description proceeds.

the inventionresides in the'combination and arrangement of parts and inthe details 50f construction hereinafter describedandclaimed, it

being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein 'disclosed may --be'made within the scope 'ofwhat is' 'claimed,

without departing-f t spirit-ofilzthe-invem tiOl'l. I J. J I I e i Inthe drawingsz-h p Fig. l-sho'wsin elevation, a device constructed 1 inaccordance" with the invention;

Fi'g." 2 is a vertical sectional view 'showingthe buoy in positionon thesubmarine, together: with means for holding .the buoy in that position;

keel of the vessel, most parts appearing in top Fig. .4 is an elevation"in-which the observer is presumed to be within the conning tower;

Fig. 5 is a section disclosing the means for mounting and controllingtheair'conduit; N Fig.6 is a'longitu'dinal section-of the 'upper portionof" the buoy;v thei buoy'valve" being closed;

Fig. -7 is axview similar to Fig. 6 but showing the buoy valve in openposition. Y l R The numeral ijl :marks the deck of a 'subn'iarine, onewall of the conning tower being designated by the numeral 2.. The spacewithin the conningv tower is designated by the arrow Land the s'pace.-without the conning tower is marked by the arrow .0.

is. a 'sectionin a plane parallel'to the v Q anupper'taperedmd 9.

the guide being sustained from the deck-'bydownwardly diverging braces4.

' Th'e numeral-5- designates' a buoy, including' a body 6 which may be'cylindrical, thebody being suppli'ed at' its end with legs], adapted'to" rest on the deck. I The body 6 of the b'uo'y 5'is'p'r ovided withja'nfoffsetsocket' 8 (Fig.1) adapted to receivethe upper :portion ofthe'guide 3, tohold the buoy in the upright posi'tionshown in thatfigure. Thebu'oyb; which preferably is made of steel and isadapte'd towithstand any reasonable pressure, has a lower, tapered end '2fi; and

Passing to Figs. 6 and 7', it that a thimble H! is threaded into theupper portion of the .taperedend- Sof the'buoy-5, the

thiInble-having'a valve seat. n, and being provided at its upper endwith an outstanding flange 12 i Resilient; downward-1ydiverging de'tent'arms [4 are provided,and are secured at their lower ends to the buoy 5inanjdesiied way. If preferred the' lower portions of the' detent arms[4 a may be bound between the upper end of the tapered ipa'rt'Sof thebuoyand the flange 12 on the-thimble m thirnble l 0 carries anupestanding guide cage-l5.

A valve stem I 6 is mounted for reciprocation 3,0. in the'g'uid'ecag'e15, and'isegu-ipped at its lower end with a valve 11', shapedfor-reception in the seat {I i A compression spring I8 surrounds: a

--portion='oi"the va1ve'sten1 l6, 'the upper end of the spring engagingthe upper portion of the guide'cagel5, thelower end of thespring'engaging thevalve l1; The function of the spring l8 is'to-maintain thevalve I! in closed position. 1

' At'vits upper endQth'e valve stem 16 is supplied with a downwardlytapered head l9, adapted to buoy 51:-

It appears inFig 1" that a guide '3 is provided,

the guidebeing disposed preferably at right an- .'.gls to the keellineof the submarine, the lower 'end'ofthe 'guide being secured to the deckI,

cooperate with the detent arms; I4 'in to'be pointed out hereinafter;Thevalvemechanism andassocia amanner received within a hood 20,including a downwardly flaring skirt 2 1, attached removablyto thetapered end 9 of the buoy by securing devices '22,

spacers 23being mounted on the securing devices, between the'skirt 21and the portion 9 of the Figure l shows that {one end of a flexible ele-'rnentZt'i secured at 25*to the tapered lowel end 25 of the buoy 5. Theflexible element 24-iswound v about and terr'nin'ally secured to a reelZ'Lshown inFigs-Q and v r t The'1eel- '2lf 'i's; securedto a shaft2 8,journaled in a bearing bracket'zs 'on'the deck l and in a gland 3Bcarried bythe'wall 2 of th 'conning will be I observed I ted parts are'nected to the .245.

It-is clear that,--as thesbuoyi rises tothqsur- I face, it should beclosed against the entranceei water. I That-condition-exists becausetheyalve ll.

tower. The shaft 28 enters the conning tower, and, within the conningtower, a ratchet wheel 3| is secured to the shaft. 7

As shown in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 3, the ratchet wheel 3| cooperates witha pawl 32 forming part of a cufl 33 mounted to rock on a spindle 34carried by the wall 2 of the conning tower, the cuff having an operatinghandle 35. Rotation may be imparted to the shaft 28 by any suitablemeans, for example, a handwheel 36 secured to the shaft.

A flexible tube 31 (Fig 3) is provided, one end of the tube beingconnected at 33 (Fig. l) to the tapered lower end 26 of the buoy 5. Theflexible the air conduit 3! on the reel39;

The skirt 2i prevents spray from entering the buoy 5 if there is a loprunning.

The blower 46 then is reversed, so that it will draw in air through thebuoy 5 and through the air line, the air bein delivered to any desiredpart of the submarine.

'I'hewheel 36 or its equivalent constitutes means whereby the shaft maybe rotated to wind the flexible element 24 on the reel 21, and the hand-wheel f43 is used to rotate the shaft 40, to wind The valve [1 may bemoved manually from tube 37 is an air conduit, amlitjxis wound-about I areel 33, secured to a shaft .40. The shaman is journaled in a bearingbracket i l, mountedon the deck I of the submarine, and inag'lan'cl'fifll mounted on the wall 2 ofthe conningtower; The shaft 40enters the conning tower and may. be rotated by any suitableinstrumentality, for w instmceahand'wheelida;

The shaft 40 is provided asi-shown ini l ig The numeral 46 indicates,

subma in and connected ,toa (seamen which,

in turn, -is.assembled .detaohably end of. the shaft 48, throughihezinstruni'entality of .a

union 48.

lion 'iof Tig 'lfi by removing the hood 20-2 I the 'rele'asable securingelements 22 permitting such an operation.

' "Thefirs't reel 39 and the second reel 21 con- Listltute mans underthe control of an operator Let it be supposed that the rflexibl eelement; 24

wound uponthe reel .21, thepawl fslbein enlgaged with-theratchet wheel8L; fiche-legs Jzof the buoy ii are held downonthedechlgandwthe buoycannotrise. The valve 1,1 in theclosed position of Fig. 6, The single-bcre air conduit includes the part 31, which is now wound upon the reel38. The-conduit 41 is'not at thisrtime connected to theishaft All,because the 5 and rotate when the busy 5 rises audit isnot desir able totwist theconduit fl l: although-if desired,

the pnion cr couplin 4 8 might afford a rotatable connection betweenthe-loonduitand the shaft All, such a construction being a neremechanical'expedient, readily understood without specific; de lineation.I

Assimiingthat submarine isperilous ly; sub:

m r d, t p at r as: th mi 3 m th ratchet wheeljl of Fi a bymeans of thehandie 35. ,The buoy i nowrises to the surface, the

flexible element 24 paying off thereel l, and -th e air conduit 31paying 01? the-reel 39. NYhen the buoy 5 arrives :at the'surface,,it-desig'nates the Y locus-of the submarine, since the buoyis corsubmarine by thetfleigibl member of Fig. -6 is held closed by thespring, 18, thedetent fingers M resting againstpthe headlg of th stem15, atthe widen-upper endof the head.

, After the buoy 5 has reached the surfaceythe and the blower it}creates pressure inthe entire air line, and in the buoy 5, underneaththe valve e -t accomplish this-result, ,theconduit 4-1 is connectedtothe shaftli by-way ot-the union 48,

l 1.- The valve 1-! is moved tothe open position ofvFig. 7, andthedetent finger I kengafie underneath the head l9 and hold the valve I!open.

sure 'withinthe-buoy for forso distributing the buoy-strain that all ofit comes on the anchor hn'e 24. As a result, the

airconduit- 3;! may. be small in diameter, :llght, and the-moreflexible. Itglsnot necessary tohave an air: conduit of;v bulky natureandstrong-enough to form a mooring-meansjor the-buoy.

' :Havmg r bed the invention, vvhatgi claimed is v 51443 I a; assai antl f -saving device -:for

sunken water-craft, a vessel, a ihollow'buoy, means for. retaining-thebuoy; on thervessel and for -;releasing the buoy to'riseat "the will of:an y,operator, when the vessel is submergedz ing-leibore air conduitleading from'ithe vessel to the buoy-,a singleair-admission=valvecarried by the buoy, said valve constitutinga-complete'closure for-the upp r, end of the buoy, mechanism en'thevessel-for discharging alr'under pressure through conduit andthrough-the buoy, directlyagainst said single valve, to open it bydirectly applied-air pressure after the buoy'has reached the surface,

thereby to -provideventilation for the submerged vessel, and mechanismindependent'of airpresholding the valve closed *while.-thebuovis"rising.q

in a salvaging-and life-saving device for .sunkenwater-crafta vessel, ahollow buoy;means ,for retaining the 'zbuoy'on the vessel-and formeleasing the buoy tori'se at the will of an o'p'erator, when the vesselis submerged, a single-bore air conduit leading from the vessel to thebuoy,

an air admission valve 'carriedby-the buoy, said valve, constituting-acomplete closure for the I upper end'oflthe buoy; mechanismon the Vesselforrfirstmreating,air pressure in the'conduit and in the .buoy, therebyto open the valve, by air pressureapplied directly thereto,;and thencreating suction in the-buoy and in the conduit, thereby to drawsurf-ace air into the submerged vessel,

- and mechanism independent of-air pressure within the buoy for holdingthe buoyis rising-5 3. Infja salvaging and life-saving device for sunkenwater-craft, a vesseLa'hollow buoy, means for; retainingzthe 'buoy onthe vessel and'for releasingithe :buoy'to rise zit-the will'of anoperator when the vessel is submerged, fthe. buoy'havmga-sea.t:..in,its. upper portion-,-:acage'carried by the buoy, astemjslldable in :the cage-and having a the valve closed while ,head -atits upper end, an air-admission valve se cured to the lower end-ofthestem'and'constituting a closure forthe seat, a valve-closing com-.

pression spring interposed between the cage and thegvalve. a yieldabledetent finger carried by the buoy and cooperatingwith the head to holdthe valve ,open,;aniai-r= conduit leading from the vessel to the buoy,andmechanismon the vessel for discharging air under pressure through theconduit and through the buoy, to open the valve after the buoy hasreached the surface, thereby to provide ventilation for the submergedvessel.

4. In a salvaging and life-saving device for sunken water-craft, avessel, a hollow buoy, a reel located outside the vessel, a flexibleelement connected to the buoy and wound about the reel, a shaft formingpart of the reel and extended within the vessel, releasable meanslocated within the vessel for restraining the shaft against rotation,thereby to hold the buoy against rising, a second reel located outsidethe vessel, a hollow Y shaft forming part of the second reel andextended within the vessel, a flexible air conduit wound about thesecond reel and communicatin with the buoy and with the hollow shaft, anairadmission valve carried by the buoy, means for holding the valvereleasably closed while the buoy" is rising, and mechanism on the vesseland communicating with the hollow shaft, to discharge air under pressurethrough the conduit and through the buoy, thereby to open the valv afterthe buoy has reached the surface, and to provide ventilation for thesubmerged vessel.

OSCAR S. CARPENTER.

